Apparently, the State of Florida is cracking down on a trend known as “Pill Mills”. These are typically smaller pain clinics you find in strip malls that offer walk-in medical treatment for flu shots, colds, and other low-level illnesses.

What’s happened is that a few bad apples have begun making it easy to get prescriptions for Oxycodone, Oxycontin and the like. If you’re willing to pay, the “Pill Mills” are happy to oblige.

Here’s a news broadcast regarding Florida Pill Mills and the effects they have on nearby communities.

Why post negative news about Opiates on this website?
In case you wonder why we post this kind of information on a website dedicated to the education of proper opiate usage? Easy – There IS an epidemic occurring. It’s important that people understand that what we’re trying to do is educate patients and doctors that when prescribed to people who are truly in chronic pain and/or suffer from bipolar disorder, opiates can be a blessing. The people who are abusing them, such as these Florida Pill Mills, are only making matters worse for those who are in desperate need of help.

Related Videos: http://youtu.be/c0Dw1ZPKFIk

The post Get Prescription Drugs Without Prescription at Florida’s Pill Mills appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

Opiates are powerful drugs derived from the poppy plant that have been used for centuries to relieve pain.  Also known as narcotics, opiates can be natural or synthetic.  The natural opiates include opium, morphine, and codeine.  Other substances, called opioids, are man-made.  These substances are like opiates in that they are most often used to treat chronic or severe pain and are also highly addictive.  These substances include Dilaudid, Demerol, Oxycodone, Vicodin, Fentanyl, Methadone, and Darvon.  Heroin is an opioid manufactured from morphine.  Heroin has no medicinal uses; it is used for its ability to give the user a feeling of euphoria.

What are warning signs?

The reaction a user experiences from the opiate is directly related to several factors including length of time, quantity of use, method of use, and the source of the opiate.  If a user gets his/her opiate from the street versus the pharmacy, it is usually mixed with numerous other substances, some of which are potentially deadly.  Under a doctor’s supervision and with responsible use by a patient, opiates are effective painkillers; however, even appropriate use over long term can lead to dependence.  When a person becomes dependent, finding and using the drug often becomes the main focus in life.  Users may “doctor shop” and go to several different physicians with complaints of pain and requests for opiates.  Users may seek suppliers from the Internet or the streets; these activities are dangerous and illegal.

Are opiates dangerous?

This opens a can of worms for most medical practitioners  The truth? Opiates are addictive and that bothers a lot of people in the medical field. Are they dangerous? Not really. They calm people. Relieve pain symptoms, do little to no damage to the rest of the body when compared to anti-inflammatory drugs, and other pain relievers  Still, doctors are quick to assume they are dangerous, and if truth be told, it’s because of ignorance, lack of current opiate education, and believing age-old stigmas associated with this and many other drugs. Which do you think is safer for your body – Alcohol or opiates? (The answer: Opiates. Alcohol hurts your liver, digestive system, ruins brain tissue and much more. Opiates do very little in the way of damage.)

What are the effects?

Effects of opiate use can vary depending on the method of use.  The user may have a flushed appearance and complain of dry mouth.  The user may also notice periods of “nodding off” or going back and forth between feelings drowsy and alert.  The user may also complain about his/her limbs feeling extremely heavy. These effects will most likely disappear within a few hours, as the opiate wears off.   Excessive use of opiates can cause a slowdown in activity of the respiratory center in the brain stem, which results in decreased breathing rate or shut down breathing altogether.  When someone overdoses on an opiate, it is the action of the opiate on the brain stem’s respiratory centers that can cause the person to stop breathing and die.  Over time, opiate users may develop infections of the heart lining and valves, skin abscesses, and congested lungs. Infections from unsterilized paraphernalia can cause illness such as liver disease, tetanus (lockjaw), and serum hepatitis.

With use over time, the user may notice he/she is not getting the same effect from the amount of drug being used.  This is called tolerance.  The user must now increase the amount of the drug being used to achieve the same effect.   When an opiate-dependent person stops taking the drug, withdrawal usually begins within 4-6 hours after the last dose.  Symptoms may include uneasiness, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, chills, sweating, nausea, runny eyes, and runny nose.

The post Are Opiates Dangerous? appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

One recurring theme in the comments and posts left in the forum seems to be the general lack of belief doctors have regarding using opiates to treat, manage and possibly cure these disorders.

According to one former patient of Dr. Robert Cochran’s, “Handing the book ‘The Opiate Cure‘ to my doctor proved to be a very bad idea”. The patient was soon labelled “an addict” by their doctor. The doctor even suggested that the patient was attempting to use the book as a means to have more opiates prescribed. It seems there’s a very divided line between believers and nonbelievers of opiate therapy.

The other recurring theme in the forum is the number of patients having difficulty finding a doctor willing to even consider the possibilities.

Our recommendation – Join the forum and continue the conversations about opiate therapies. This is one of the only ways that doctors, the general public and the medical community can be educated on the help opiates offer those who suffer – Feedback from patients who have benefitted from the treatment(s).

If you know of any other forums or blogs that share similar beliefs regarding using opiates for treating chronic pain and bipolar disorder, please share them with us.

The post Author / Dr. Robert Cochran Invites Pain Sufferer’s to Share Stories in Opiate Cure Forum appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

Just recently on Nashville’s streets, the bassist for rock band 3 Doors Down, Tom Harrell was arrested for vehicular manslaughter and was noted as saying he had taken Lortabs along with alcohol  Police also found oxycodone and Xanax in his socks where apparently he hides these pills.

Are opiates and anti-anxiety drugs rampant in our society? What’s the deal?

If you read any self-help books, you’ll find that many “life coaches” are writing more and more about the pressures of modern society. And, perhaps men and women were not built to live in homes, pay utility bills and work in cubicles all day. All of wich, create stresses that the human body and mind were not actually built for. Are we mice in an experiemental maze looking for relief from society and our roller coaster economy? Just maybe we are.

The severe rise in opiate usage is why so many doctors are cutting back on prescribing them. Or, at least they say they are. Prescriptions for opiate-based drugs are at an all time high for pain relief, and for some, the relief of mental pressures from simple day to day living.

It’s not easy merely getting by in our society, is it? We have electric dog bone makers on TV that allow our pets to eat healthy snacks vs. store-bought bones. Is this really the type of things we “think we need to be happy?”

We’ll dive more into this in future articles. It’s becoming all to common that people are using opiates for mental relief and relaxation. Which begs the question – Is using opiates for bi-polar disorder a good or bad idea.

Share your thoughts with us.

The post Opiates Available Just 3 Doors Down appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

1. HELP! I can’t find a doctor that offers treatment like Dr. Cochran did!
2. Thank you Dr. Cochran, for the life-changing treat you gave me before your retirement.

The comments below, are the latter type – Praise for Dr. Cochran’s years of service, often changing lives by listening to his patients, and offering treatment that could not be found elsewhere.

“When I went in to see Dr. Cochran for my November appointment he told he was retiring, I then started crying; Dr. Cochran was the most amazing, caring doctor I have ever met, I was devastated to find out he was retiring mainly because he changed my life, I went from living in constant pain, having 2-3 migraines a week, and sleeping constantly, and then I was referred to what I refer to him as “my savior”. Dr.Cochran gave me my old life back. The worst thing about his retirement is finding a doctor that cares and will listen to you and do whatever it takes to help me the way he did. Dr. Cochran is the most intelligent man I have ever met, and I just pray that I can find a doctor that can give me the relief and life that Dr.Cochran did. I will be forever grateful to the man that gave me hope when I needed it most, after years of treatment from other doctors, chiropractors, physical therapist, and many others,I was finally sent to the man who knew how to solve any and every problem I had that no other doctor could. It is a shame that other doctors aren’t even half the doctor this amazing man was ( is still ). I am forever thankful and will never forget how Dr. Robert Cochran Jr. Changed my life and made it possible for me to live a pain free life ( a majority of the time, I still have flare ups, but that is expected with chronic pain, depression, bipolar disorder, panic & anxiety disorder, and being narcoleptic.”

If you have a comment or experience you’d like to share, please visit our contact page, or register for the OpiateCureBlog.com forum.

The post Former Patient Gives Thanks to Dr. Robert Cochran for Life-Changing Treatment appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

Read the full press release about the launch of the forum, and also some notes about the difficulty some former patients have had in finding replacement care since Dr. Cochran’s retirement.
Full story

The post Press for Opiate Cure Blog Forum Taking Hold appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

One company, Physician’s Technology, LLC is on a mission. A mission to remove one billion of these pills from the street. Yes, you read that correctly, ONE BILLION PILLS removed from the street. This firm believes it has created therapies that c=will replace the need for opiate treatments, and claims they work even better.

Read the full story

The post Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong about Opiate Prescriptions appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

Purple Drank is a combination of cough syrup with codeine  Jolly Rancher candy, and soda pop. The combination of the ingredients has become a favorite of many in the South who drink the concoction for fun and to get high.

The post Opiate Cure News Surrounded by Addiction Press appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

In truth, we can’t put limitations on the forum, or it’s not really a forum at all.

The following, are basic guidelines for the OpiateCureBlog.com Forum:

• Refrain from using names, whether personal, names of physicians, and / or state medical board employees or directors. The Opiate Cure book has plenty of controversy, so there’s no need to put anyone in harm’s way.
• Avoid using your name, or anything that would identify you.
• Be honest, and as neutral as possible, allowing readers to judge for themselves.

We welcome any and all feedback. Please visit our Contact Page to send us a note.

The post Opiate Cure Blog Forum to Post More Patient Stories from Dr. Robert T. Cochran Jr. appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.

The forum is designed to allow Dr. Cochran’s former patients communicate with one another. Obviously, they have concerns, and some are having difficulty with finding similar treatment now that Dr. Cochran has retired. The forum may help former patients by allowing them to share results found from new doctors and treatments since Dr. Cochran’s retirement in December 2012.

> CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FORUM or click the “FORUM” link at the top of the page.

The post Forum Added to OpiateCureBlog.com for Dr. Robert Cochran Jr.’s Former Patients appeared first on The Opiate Cure Blog.